Before we start, a quick note: some of you have reported that gmail is marking Lorem Ipsum as potential spam. This is because of a technical change I made, and should resolve itself as you all open and read normally over time. To hasten that process, would you make sure to mark as ‘important’ and ‘not spam,’ and drag the newsletter into your primary inbox in gmail? 🙏🙏🙏

Now, on to the good stuff. I meant to drop this banger during Pride month, but there’s never a bad time for a nice queer anthem, is there? On “R U Mad,” Michael Blume swaggers through self-aggrandizing lyrics in a way you don’t often hear from an indie singer (listen for notes on partner-stealing and unparalleled sexual prowess), repeating the resounding chorus, “R U mad that I’m gay?” All bolstered by Shea Couleé and Peppermint from Drag Race. Get it. (Oh and watch this funny little twerky pear while you listen.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Hannah Gadsby and Nanette. In case you haven’t been ensconced in the news cycle about her, here’s the deal: Gadsby is a gay Australian woman who’s done a big Netflix comedy special in which she makes a lot of great jokes about growing up queer in rural Tasmania. As she makes hilarious observations, occasionally pauses to get serious, saying she should quit comedy, a medium that has allowed her to, yes, be heard, but also one that limits her ability to speak. Comedy asks her to deprecate herself for others’ enjoyment, she says, and some of the points she needs to make about prejudice simply aren’t funny. So she’s calling to expand the medium to accommodate the depths of human experience.

All of which has led (many male) critics to assert that her comedy special really isn’t comedy at all, but rather, somewhat-funny storytelling. But look, when did comedy get a border wall? Sure, Gadsby is doing it differently, and she happens to be outside the group of American men who pioneered the medium. But last I checked, art was iterative and fluid, and new perspectives were productive. Or did those things change?

I know we just made the collective discovery that women can be funny, so tell me if this is progressing too fast: there are other women BESIDES Hannah Gadsby who are ALSO tackling tough subjects through jokes! Here’s a little reference list of ladies to follow, which also includes a quote that might help clarify the Nanette confusion. Alissa Anne Juen Yi, whose bit is about her own experience with sexual assault, says, “I’d say the best shows are bittersweet… Shows that manage those contrasts between laughter and sadness, that make you reel back and feel the highs and the lows more intensely.” I think we call that, “effective art.”

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